


Groupie

by rinstop



Series: Prompt fills [24]
Category: Free!
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-13
Updated: 2016-03-13
Packaged: 2018-05-26 11:30:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 752
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6236911
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rinstop/pseuds/rinstop
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In which Rei is captivated and catches the eye of an idol</p>
            </blockquote>





	Groupie

The first time Rei had seen him, it had been on a poster. He’d looked out with piercing eyes and a sharp grin, a dare and a challenge on every line of his face and the tilt of his head, his red hair falling just so, and Rei had become instantly captivated. That face, that look in his eyes, had lit a burning curiosity in his heart that couldn’t be tamped down, no matter what.

Finding his music only fed the flame - his voice was powerful and alluring and the sound of it in his ears was enough to transport him to another world entirely. Every track he listened to could make him feel things he never knew how to feel, make his emotions soar and fall with the lilt of his voice, a crescendo and a drop, straight into obsession.

It had felt like serendipity when the band announced they were playing a gig in the next town - only a twenty minute train ride away and he was free that day and the tickets weren’t even that expensive. He pulled a friend into going with him and they queued hours before the doors opened just to be right at the front and Rei felt breathless in anticipation - finally he would see him in person. Real enough to touch, right before his eyes and only a few meters away.

He’d come on in a burst of light and sound, driving the crowd around him to frenzy and Rei spent the entire show watching him move around the stage, skilled fingers moving over the strings of his guitar as he sang. He was even better than he’d ever dreamed he’d be, his voice un-mastered, his face unedited, the lights making his hair burn like fire under their glow, the way his lips were so close to the microphone as his eyes roved the crowd in a knowing leer. Rei had never seen anything like it, couldn’t think of any words to describe it, except…beautiful.

He made it his mission to go to every concert he could then, every time they played nearby, tracking the dates of their tours obsessively so that he could go and experience that feeling again and again, like an addict returning for a high. Always in the front row, as close as he could get, lights reflected in his eyes like stars as he watched in breathless captivation. And often enough that he got noticed, and those started looking at him with a vague sense of recognition - sometimes even searching for him and when their eyes met, he felt like a butterfly pinned under glass. On, display like those eyes could see right through him.

So if he dallied a little longer at the end of the concert, wanting to savour the atmosphere and experience for as long as could hold on to it, until it was firmly imprinted into his mind, who could blame him? He lingered outside the doors of the venue, breathing in the cool night air that felt so pleasant after the stuffy heat of the packed hall, remembering the ruby glitter of those eyes on his. He was lost enough in his thoughts that the sound of a voice behind him made him jump and turn, only to stop like a deer in the headlights when he saw who it was.

“Hey, it’s you.”

“R-Rin…” He bowed then, suddenly and awkwardly remembering himself and unsure of what to do, “I mean! Matsuoka-san!”

He got a weird look for that and red eyes trailed the length of his body in consideration, before walking forward, leaning into his personal place with a hand pressed against the wall over his head. His face was close enough that Rei could feel the puff of his breath against his lips and he felt frozen.

“I’ve been seeing your face a lot, lately. I thought maybe it was just a case of similar faces or something, but it’s definitely you. You must like us a lot, huh? What’s your name?”

“R…Rei,” He swallowed, mouth dry and tried again, “Ryugazaki Rei.”

“Rei,” Rin rolled his name, like it was something tantalising, around his mouth and Rei thought he had never heard it sound so good before. He smirked then, something suggestive in the curve of his lips and Rei felt like prey about to be snatched up in swooping claws. “You want to come back to the hotel with me? I wouldn’t mind seeing a little more of you.”


End file.
